One of the great museum cities of the world, Washington D.C. is home to the famous Smithsonian Institution (originally funded by the British scientist James Smithson, who never visited America), and plenty more museums and art galleries, that can easily fill days on end. More have opened since I visited in 2008 but here’s a taster.
National Air and Space Museum
As a boy obsessed with planes and space visiting this was something of a dream come true, though about 15 years past the heyday. Filled with iconic planes and space craft including the Wright Brothers, X1, X15, Mercury capsule, and Apollo lunar lander. I was like a kid in a sweet shop exploring the place, and clearly wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Hirshhorn Museum
One of the leading modern art museums in the country, housed in a classic modernist 70s building.
National Gallery of Art
Testament to America’s wealth in terms of the collection of masters, and America’s creativity in the collection of modern works, plus has a lovely central courtyard.
National Portrait Gallery
No shortage of famous Americans to warrant inclusion in this collection.
Museum of Native Americans
Interesting building, but sadly less interesting content from what I remember.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Dedicated to Asian art and linked with the Museum of African Art. Was worth a quick explore but didn’t keep me for long.
Museum of African Art
Neither did this museum though I may have been suffering from museum fatigue by this point.
Smithsonian Castle
Basically a visitor centre for the Smithsonian collection of museums, housed in a fake castle.
National Postal Museum
One of the more random museums but worth a quick visit.
